Latest News

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Manu Tioriori our visitor centre will be CLOSED from Sunday, 22 March

21 March 2020

IMPORTANT NOTICE: With the announcement from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on 21 March 2020 about COVID-19 alert systems and advice on minimising our movement around the country, we have made the difficult decision to close Manu Tioriori our visitor...

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Species update - February 2020

3 March 2020

By Janelle Ward, Species Coordinator Despite the very dry weather, we have active and thriving species here at Maungatautari this summer.  Takahe – With the recent weather, the grass growth has slowed right down which impacts the feed...

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Species Update - January 2020

31 January 2020

Our charismatic birds such as kaka, takahe and kokako often gain a lot of the attention, but what about all the other precious species at the maunga? Native fish including giant and banded kokopu were reintroduced in 2007, Hochstetter’s frogs have...

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Summer highlights from a volunteer guide

31 January 2020

By Rosie Cahalane I've now been guiding for two years and it is such a joy to introduce visiting groups to the maunga. It has helped me to truly appreciate the uniqueness of our environment and wildlife while at the same time meeting lots of...

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Nganekos Pou

2 December 2019

By Graham Parker Nganeko’s Pou is a memorial to Nganeko Tawhai, who was the sole owner of Maungatautari 4GIV block in the 1800s. She was the wife of Mahuta Potatau Tawhiao, third king of the Waikato-Tainui iwi. This block formed the gateway...

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Long-term dedication from two volunteers

2 December 2019

By Neil Smith  Back in 2007 I started volunteering on the maunga by carrying out the monthly close-up inspections of the part of the perimeter fence on the boundary of the Andree-Wiltens farm. Soon after that I joined Rod’s gofer team and...

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Species update - November 2019

2 December 2019

By Dr Janelle Ward, Species Co-ordinator  In my spare time over the past six months, I have been tackling our Maungatautari kiwi database to get it up to date and accurate. It’s amazing how easy it is for there to be errors in a...

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Track clearing

2 December 2019

By Peter Lee-Johnson, Programme Officer, Katikati Tramping Group (KKTC) When Jessica Meade approached me regarding our club spending a day at Sanctuary Mountain helping staff with track clearing, a notice to club members produced an enthusiastic...

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The life of a volunteer visitor host

2 December 2019

My name is Ruth and for the past 10 years I have been a volunteer Visitor Host at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari. I would like to share with you some thoughts about this wonderful safe haven.  The predator proof fence enclosing such a large...

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Carpark build starts at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari

5 November 2019

Carpark build starts at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari Construction on the new visitor carpark begins at Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari’s visitor centre this Thursday, 7th November. We are very excited about this new development, but...

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Eco-sanctuaries

31 October 2019

There are two types of ecosanctuaries; those which are fenced, such as our Maunga, and those which are not, but which rely on bait stations to provide a level of protection to enable native and endemic species to breed.  I have been involved with...

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Winter Wanderings

31 October 2019

Winter Wanderings By Russell Ingram-Seal – invertebrate enthusiast, amateur photographer and kiwi conservation volunteer. In July I was lucky enough to be given permission to explore Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari to look at invertebrates...

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Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and Mother Earth sign sponsorship deal

13 September 2019

Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari and food brand Mother Earth have partnered up for a sponsorship targeted at education programmes at the wildlife sanctuary.   The sponsorship will go towards improving the education programme that Sanctuary...

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Kokako population in Maungatautari is thriving

7 December 2018

We are delighted to share with you the kokako census on Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari conducted by Ian Flux during September and October 2018.  According to the report: Nineteen (19) territorial pairs were confirmed. A further pair was...

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Finalist at 2018 New Zealand Biosecurity Awards

12 November 2018

Last 12 November 2018, Sanctuary Mountain Chief Executive Phil Lyons and Sanctuary Manager Geoff Churchill attended an awards gala evening for the Ministry for Primary Industries' New Zealand Biosecurity Awards. Sanctuary Mountain is a finalist...

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